Business research news, tips, facts and sources from the Library research team at the London Business School Library.

24 February 2011

Pharma 2020: Supplying the Future

Supply chain, the link between the laboratory and the marketplace, needs a thorough revision: Most pharma have complex supply chains that are under-utilised, inefficient and ill-equipped to cope with the sort of products coming down the pipeline. This new report predicts that in order to meet the demands of a fast evolving marketplace and the shift from patient to outcome, the pharma supply chain will need to undergo a radical overhaul.

Numerous forces are reshaping the environment in which the industry operates and dictating the need for a different sort of supply chain: By 2020, the more diverse product types and therapies with shorter product lifecycles; new ways for assessing, approving and monitoring medicines; increasing emphasis on outcomes; new modes of delivering healthcare where the care is pushed into the community and where access to information on patients will become as important as the products themselves; the growing importance of emerging markets; a greater public scrutiny impacting the ability to manage risk and compliance; and, tougher environmental controls and regulations will oblige companies to strategically reassess their supply chain approach.

Timely access to various emerging technologies will increase the efficiency of the manufacturing and distribution functions: New technologies are emerging to help pharma companies manufacture a wider and more complex range of medicines, distribute them and also to speed the interface with the patient and getting closer than ever.

Collaboration between the parties involved in the healthcare provision will contribute to make the industry more efficient: The supply chains for designing, manufacturing and distributing pharmaceuticals and medical devices plus those providing healthcare services will integrate so that all partners can see the full picture and help them plan ahead more accurately and cost-effective.

The full report can be downloaded from the PwC website (pre-registration required)